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Pregnancy Skin - A Hideous Insect Bite

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published on June 14, 2013

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WhatToExpect.com supports Word of Mom as a place to share stories and highlight the many perspectives and experiences of pregnancy and parenting. However, the opinions expressed in this section are those of individual writers and do not reflect the views of Heidi Murkoff of the What to Expect brand.

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Pregnancy skin can either be sultry, supple, and glowing. Or it can be itchy, rashy and changing color. It depends on the pregnancy and hormones mostly. However, what if you find a strange rash on your pregnancy skin that is neither a normal pregnancy symptom and appears to be an insect bite? That is what happened to me. As if I wasn't carrying enough pregnancy fears, then I had to worry about this strange insect bite on my skin that I had never had before.

I cannot even recall when it happened because I had not experienced any pain nor itching. I just remember waking up one morning and as I looked at my legs on the bed, I saw a bright red spot near my ankle. It appeared to be an insect bite. Similar to a mosquito bite but not exactly. I ignored it and assumed it would go away in a few days. The size of it was probably the size of a #2 pencil eraser and it was not lifted from my skin. If it began to itch, I resisted the temptation to scratch it.

A few days later, the insect bite, which I originally thought was from a mosquito turned for the worst. It was larger then a half dollar and it was pigmented in bright reddish spots. It looked to be a rash during pregnancy but it went from normal to worse and I know if insect bites do that, it could cause problems and I am worried about complications during pregnancy already, without having to add a simple bite from a bug!

I kept a watchful eye upon it and looked for any symptoms of a worsening rash during pregnancy. It did not seem to grow any bigger and it still did not cause any itching, unless, I dwelled upon that thought. This rash during pregnancy also was not risen above skin level either. Nothing truly changed about the rash, except that it is hideous looking.

Within a few days I had my 18 week prenatal visit and I showed my obstetrician the ugly bug bite. He examined it thoroughly and asked me questions on any changes for the worst. He said that it definitely appeared to be spider bite and that if it began to streak upward on my leg or expand more and/or begin to ulcer to immediately head to the emergency room to get on antibiotics. I asked him if it would pose any complications during pregnancy and he informed me that only if it became worse and if I don't treat it, it could very well pose a risk.

I am weary of any sort of rash during pregnancy. One can not presume if a rash is normal or not and I would rather be safe then sorry and ask my obstetrician all that I can. Even if the rash is not a hazard, there are creams and medications my OB could prescribe for relief, if I just speak up. Have you ever had a strange insect bite that you brought to your obstetrician's attention?

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